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Today I have a pretty awesome story from another money savvy momma about her journey of going from full-time to part-time work. Danielle recently transitioned from working full-time to part-time in order to stay at home and raise her young daughter (daycare is expensive!). Despite the changes in their household income, she and her husband, J, continue to flourish in paying off their debts and are now nearing the end of their journey! For more information about Danielle, you can find her at thepennieswesaved.com

I think it is safe to say that part-time working moms are one of the most important superheroes of the world. Whether they are working at home on their laptops for a few hours a day, or in the office a few days a week, their schedules are seemingly full. Yet, they get a ton of stuff done!

They do the cooking, the cleaning, and even keep their household finances in order. These moms also put their children and husbands first and before themselves. They do it all.

My Decision to Go Part-Time

Although being a part-time working mom is not ideal for everyone, I actually opted to exchange my full-time career for a part-time job. As a result, I ended up losing half of my salary.

I am serious. I took a 50% cut in my salary after switching to a part-time work schedule.

Since my husband, J, and I are on a mission to become debt free, this move was very scary for us. However, we have both managed to stay true to our financial goals in order to avoid facing the reality of living paycheck to paycheck.

Despite our change in household income (one full-time income and one part-time income), we are still projected to eliminate our debt on time. When it is all said and done, we will have paid off $73,000 in just under three years!

So how is a part-time working mom to help pay down household debt when her income is low?

Here are some things to consider if you want to help destroy your debt as a part-time working mom:

Debt Snowball It

If you are on a journey toward debt freedom, you are likely familiar with financial guru, Dave Ramsey. One of his methods to follow is the debt snowball, which is the paying off of debts from smallest to largest, despite interest rates.

This method is not for everyone, but it is for those who need those “small wins” to keep the passion in becoming debt free, alive.

During the start of our journey, we did implement this method and have since shifted course.  We gain just as much traction following the debt avalanche and a mix of other methods to paying off debt.

Find what works best for your situation!

Budget

If you are a part-time working mom trying to figure out how much of your paycheck can be put towards your debt, you may want to consider creating a budget.

If you have two incomes coming in, can you live off of the larger income? Are you able to portion out a percentage of it? To make this decision, you might have to cut out some things, but just think, it’s only for a season.

We choose to live off of J’s income alone and put 100% of my biweekly paychecks toward our debt. How are we able to manage this? We budget for it.

By formulating a budget and giving our fixed and variable expenses a set dollar amount each month, we almost never go over (although, we have…more than once). Get together a list of your expenses and use your judgement on what you can cut out or modify.

You’ll save big bucks by sacrificing some things.

Ease Up on Buying Gourmet Coffee

Yes, this deserves its own category.

Moms need caffeine! It serves as an energy booster, especially for those who are up all hours of the night caring for their little ones and still have to plug away at their day job.

Unfortunately, buying gourmet coffee on the daily will only prevent you from reaching your financial goals.

Let’s do the math real quick: the average cup of coffee at select coffee houses costs around $5 a cup. If you are a M-F coffee drinker, that comes out to be about $1,200 spent on coffee per year!!

More, if you get a doughnut to along go with each purchase.

Try the considerably cheaper route…coffee grounds and a coffee maker at home.

Pick Up a Side Gig/Hustle

As a part-time working mom, picking up a side gig/hustle has probably never crossed your mind. But if time is on your side, you may want to consider the idea if you want to contribute more money toward your household debt.

Here are some side gigs to consider:

• Dog walker/sitter
• Babysitter
• Freelance Writer
• Mystery Shopper

Just to list a few!

You can even consider using your creative skills as a way for making exrta money on the side! I recently picked up a freelance gig, and it’s great because I get paid to do what I enjoy, write.

Avoid the Beloved Red Store

For some reason, moms and Target go hand-in-hand. I believe that moms are deserving of all things, because, let’s face it…mommin’ isn’t the easiest thing in the world (parenting in general isn’t).

But I also believe in the importance of deciphering needs from wants. So, instead of going out for some shopping therapy at the beloved Red Store every waking moment, try doing something else (that’s free) for a change.

I live in the land of 10,000 lakes, so whenever the weather is right, I love to go walking near the lake in my neighborhood and catch some fresh air.

Other things I do in order to avoid spending frivolously is read a good book (at home or in a local bookstore), get together for play dates with other moms, visit free community events, or walk around downtown.

Whether you work part-time or full-time, contributing to your household debt is important! Find ways to save and you’ll find out soon enough that getting out of debt is possible!

What are some ways that you’ve been able to save money as part-time working mom and pay off debt?